Baculoviral IAP repeat-containing protein 7 (BIRC7) peptide-MHC complex (BIRC7 pMHC)

Baculoviral IAP repeat-containing protein 7 (BIRC7), also known as Livin or ML-IAP, is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein family that is highly expressed in various malignancies but has limited expression in normal adult tissues (UniProt Q96CA5). The BIRC7 peptide-MHC complex consists of specific BIRC7-derived peptides presented on the surface of cancer cells by Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules, typically HLA-A*02:01 (PMID: 11447167). These complexes serve as specific targets for the immune system, particularly for T-cell receptors (TCRs) on cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In a therapeutic context, TCR-engineered T cells or vaccines are designed to recognize these pMHC complexes to induce a targeted immune response against tumor cells (PMID: 21814175). Because BIRC7 plays a critical role in promoting cell survival and conferring resistance to chemotherapy by inhibiting caspases 3, 7, and 9, targeting its pMHC complex offers a dual advantage of hitting a vital survival protein while maintaining high tumor specificity (PMID: 11084337).

Other names

Livin peptide-MHC complexMelanoma inhibitor of apoptosis protein (ML-IAP) peptide-MHC complexBIRC7-HLA complexKIAP peptide-MHC complex

T-cell receptor (TCR) binding to the BIRC7 peptide-MHC complex on the surface of tumor cells triggers the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, leading to the release of perforins and granzymes and subsequent apoptosis of the target cancer cell (PMID: 21814175, PMID: 15150593).